(Nanowerk News) The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering ("CNSE") of the University at Albany announced today that it will offer a pioneering baccalaureate program in Nanoscale Engineering, providing unique interdisciplinary education and hands-on training to develop a new breed of scientists and engineers for a growing number of nanotechnology-enabled career opportunities, while further building New York's 21st century high-tech workforce.

CNSE Senior Vice President and CEO Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros made the announcement during a keynote address before more than 1,000 educators, school administrators, and business and community leaders at the STEM 2010 EXPO at Ballston Spa High School, which focused on building educational programs to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching and learning across Tech Valley.

The bachelor's degree in Nanoscale Engineering at CNSE complements the undergraduate degree in Nanoscale Science - launched last June as the world's first comprehensive baccalaureate degree program in nanoscale science - as well as CNSE's graduate-level curriculum, which was also a global first when it commenced in September 2004.

Students completing the CNSE bachelor's degree program in Nanoscale Engineering will be well-equipped to solve challenging problems in nanoscale engineering and applied sciences, as well as other physical and biological engineering sciences, and be uniquely educated to pursue opportunities in emerging high-technology industries, including nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, health sciences, and sustainable energy, as well as competitive graduate degrees in emerging engineering fields.

University at Albany President George M. Philip said, "With the establishment of this innovative undergraduate degree program in nanoscale engineering, the UAlbany NanoCollege will provide world-class education and training for students, unmatched high-tech workforce development for the state, and further worldwide recognition for both CNSE and the University at Albany. This is truly an exciting day, and I congratulate Dr. Kaloyeros for his vision and leadership in making this bold initiative a reality."

CNSE Senior Vice President and CEO Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros said, "The UAlbany NanoCollege is delighted to launch this groundbreaking interdisciplinary curriculum in nanoscale engineering, which offers a new paradigm that will enable our students to be future leaders in science and engineering. It is particularly appropriate to make this announcement as part of the STEM 2010 Expo, which is also dedicated to building a highly-skilled high-tech workforce in New York State that will help to ensure U.S. competitiveness in the global innovation economy."

Dr. Richard Matyi, CNSE Professor of Nanoscience, who served as Chair of CNSE's Curriculum Committee when the proposal for the degree program was prepared, said, "The interdisciplinary education and unparalleled experiential training that are embodied by CNSE's pioneering baccalaureate degree program in nanoscale engineering will provide students with a one-of-a-kind academic experience. This truly represents a new model that is essential to prepare today's brightest young scientific minds to be tomorrow's leaders in nanoscale exploration and discovery."

Dr. Joseph P. Dragone, Superintendent of Schools at Ballston Spa and Chairman of the STEM 2010 EXPO Steering Committee, said, "As educators, we are excited to support the creation of a novel undergraduate degree in nanoscale engineering at the UAlbany NanoCollege, which will provide a critical path for students seeking exciting careers in the region's growing nanotechnology economy. We applaud CNSE's leadership in nanoscale education and training, and look forward to future collaborations that will give our students a clear advantage in the 21st century workforce."

The Nanoscale Engineering curriculum comprises a cutting-edge, inherently interdisciplinary, academic program centered on scholarly excellence, educational quality, and technical and pedagogical innovation. The program will give students the abilities to creatively solve nanoscale engineering problems through the use of rigorous analytical, computational, modeling, and experimental tools based on foundational physical or biological sciences and mathematics, nanoscale materials, and applied engineering concepts.

The program will also enable students to propose, formulate and execute original, cutting-edge nanoscale engineering research at CNSE's unparalleled Albany NanoTech Complex, which is the most advanced nanotechnology research enterprise at any university in the world. With more than $5.5 billion in public and private investments, and the participation of more than 2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, faculty, and students from leading global corporations and top research universities, the UAlbany NanoCollege offers students a world-class experience working with, and learning from, the top innovative minds in the industrial and academic worlds.

The need for an innovative undergraduate program in nanoscale engineering is borne out by research from numerous organizations, including the National Science Foundation, which forecasts the need for more than 2 million nanotechnology professionals at all employment levels in the U.S. by 2014, with another 5 million nanotechnology jobs worldwide in related fields and disciplines. In addition, the National Nanotechnology Initiative, signed into law by the U.S. President in 2004, calls for the creation of the "laboratory and human resource infrastructure in universities and in the education of nanotechnology professionals" to prepare the U.S. workforce for the 21st century.

About CNSE

The UAlbany CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development, and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics. CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex is the most advanced research enterprise of its kind at any university in the world. With over $5.5 billion in high-tech investments, the 800,000-square-foot complex attracts corporate partners from around the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind academic experience. The UAlbany NanoCollege houses the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 80,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty work on site at CNSE's Albany NanoTech, from companies including IBM, AMD, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, ASML, Novellus Systems, Vistec Lithography and Atotech.

Source: CNSE

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